Nonionic detergent compositions for cleaning polyester fabrics

ABSTRACT

AN AQUEOUS WASHING SOLUTION OF WATER AND ABOUT 0.01 TO 5.0 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A DETERGENT COMPOSITION OF A ABOUT 20 TO 80 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A MIXTURE OF (1) NONIONIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF PRIMARY OXYALKYLATED ALIPHATIC ALCOHOLS HAVING FROM ABOUT 8 TO 22 CARBON ATOMS IN THE ALIPHATIC PORTION AND ABOUT 3 TO 50 AXYALKYLENE UNITS IN THE OXYALKYLENE PORTION AND (2) NONIONIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF SECONDARY OXYALKYLATED ALIPHATIC ALCOHOLS HAVING FROM ABOUT 8 TO 22 CARBON ATOMS IN THE ALIPHATIC PORTION AND ABOUT 3 TO 50 OXYALKYLENE UNITS IN THE OXYALKYLENE PORTION AND B ABOUT 80 TO 20 PERCENT BY WEIGHT KEROSENE.

United States Patent 3,707,506 NONIONIC DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS FORCLEANING POLYESTER FABRICS William Lozo, Trenton, Mich., assignor toBASF Wyaudotte Corporation, Wyandotte, Mich. No Drawing. Filed Aug. 19,1968, Ser. No. 753,787 Int. Cl. Clld l 68; D06l 1/02, 1/12 U.S. Cl.252-439 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An aqueous washing solutionof water and about 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight of a detergentcomposition of A about 20 to 80 percent by weight of a mixture of (1)nonionic surface active agent selected from the class consisting ofprimary oxyalkylated aliphatic alcohols having from about 8 to 22 carbonatoms in the aliphatic portion and about 3 to 50 oxyalkylene units inthe oxyalkylene portion and (2) nonionic surface active agent selectedfrom the class consisting of secondary oxyalkylated aliphatic alcoholshaving from about 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the aliphatic portion andabout 3 to 50 oxyalkylene units in the oxyalkylene portion and B about80 to 20 percent by weight kerosene.

In conventional laundering for the removal of dirt from fabrics andgarments, use is made of an aqueous solution of a surface active agentsuch as soap or other well-known detergents.

In the laundering of fabrics and garments made from artificial fibers,particularly polyester fibers and particularly in the removal of fattysoil, it has been found to be desirable to employ nonionic surfaceactive agents since soil removal from such products is generally moredifiicult than from natural fibers such as cotton. While prior artsolutions of surface active agents have been employed to effectivelyremove dirt from a wide range of fabrics and garments, it is alwaysdesirable to find a way for greatly improved or greatly increased dirtremoval and washing efiiciency.

One problem in attaining maximum efiiciency in the removal of dirt hasbeen the belief that laundering must be at temperatures below the cloudpoint of the detergent. Thus, it was necessary where high temperatures,i.e., 160 F. to 190 F. were desired for maximum washing efiiciency toemploy detergents having cloud points above the desired washingtemperature. Conversely, where use of certain types of detergents withlower cloud points was desired, it was necessary to use lowertemperatures than the cloud points which greatly reduced the efiiciencyof laundering.

Accordingly, it is a purpose of the instant invention to provide acomposition for use in laundering, particularly for laundering polyesterfibers in an efficient and economical manner with a more completeremoval of dirt.

This and other purposes are achieved in accordance with the instantinvention by an aqueous solution consisting essentially of water andfrom about 0.01 to 5.0 weight percent of a detergent compositionconsisting essentially of (A) about 20 to 80 percent by weight of amixture of (1) nonionic surface active agent selected from the 3,707,506Patented Dec. 26, 1972 class consisting of secondary oxyalkylatedalialcohols having from about 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the aliphaticportion and about 3 to 50 oxyalkylene units in the oxyalkylene portionand (2) nonionic surface active agent selected from the class consistingof secondary oxyalkylated aliphatic alcohols having from about 8 to 22carbon atoms in the aliphatic portion and about 3 to 50 oxyalkyleneunits in the oxyalkylene portion, said nonionic surface active agentshaving a cloud point in a 1 percent aqueous concentration of about 140C. to 155 C. and (B) about 80 to 20 percent by Weight kerosene.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, mixture A is a mixture ofabout 20 to 80 percent by weight of (1) the primary oxyalkylated alcoholand about 80 to 20 percent by weight of (2) the secondary oxyalkylatedalcohol.

A preferred detergent composition to be mixed with water to produce thewashing solution consists essentially of from about 5 to percent byweight of (1) the above primary oxyalkylated alcohol, from about 5 to70' percent by weight of (2) the above secondary oxyalkylated alcohol,and about to 20 percent by weight of B kerosense. The term kerosene asused herein defines a mixture of hydrocarbons having a boiling pointfrom about C. to 350 C. wherein the mixture is usually obtained as adistillate from petroleum or shale oil.

The detergent composition of this invention is readily formulated withalkaline builder salts and auxiliary additives in order to provide acomposition which is characterized in the art as a one-shot product,i.e., the product contains a balanced detergent formulation includingthe nonionic surface active agents, builders, and auxiliary additivesalong with the kerosene.

The alkaline builder salts which can be employed in the detergentcomposition include, for example, alkali metal silicates, phosphates,including the molecularly dehydrated phosphates, carbonates, and boratesand, to a lesser extent, alkali metal hydroxides. Typical alkalinebuilder salts are sodium orthosilicate, sodium metasilicate, sodiumcarbonate, trisodium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, tetrasodiurnpyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosp'nate and sodium tetraborate.Mixtures of the alkaline builder salts are often used advantageously toimpart desired properties to the formulation such as pH and corrosioncontrol.

The detergent compositions of this invention are very readily formulatedwith auxiliary additives such as absorbent siliceous compounds includingcalcium silicate, fullers earth, silica gel, finely divided silica,diatomaceous earth and mixtures thereof, optical brighteners, forexample, benzyl beta-methyl umbelliferone, anti-soil redepositionagents, for example, carboxymethylcellulose, anti-tarnishing agents suchas mercaptobenzothiazole, benzotriazole, ethylene thiourea and the like,agents to supply higher or smaller proportions of foam or suds asdesired, plasticizers, inert fillers, bleaches, solvents, dyes,perfumes, etc., in formulations in which those who practice the art ofcompounding cleaning compositions are well versed.

The alkaline builder salt Where employed is preferably employed in aweight ratio of builder salt to the total weight of the primary (1) andsecondary (2) oxyalkylated alcohols of from about 1:1 to 16:1. Theauxiliary additives are preferably employed in an amount from about 1 to50 weight percent absorbent siliceous compounds, 0.01 to weight percentoptical brighteners, 0.5 to 50 weight percent anti-soil redepositionagents, 0.5 to 20 weight percent anti-tarnishing agents, 0.5 to 50weight percent of the foam agents, and 0.01 to 100' weight percentplasticizers, inert fillers, bleaches, solvents, dyes, perfumes, etc.,all based on the total weight of the nonionic mixture A. The totalamount of auxiliary additives, mentioned above, such as opticalbrighteners, foam stabilization or enhancing agents, anti-soilredeposition agents, etc., range from about 0.01 to 200 percent byweight based on the weight of the nonionic component A and areincorporated as substitutions for a portion of the alkaline buildersalt.

The following examples are presented to particularly illustrate theinvention.

EXAMPLES 1-12 In the examples below, 4%" x 4%" square swatches ofpolyester-cotton fabric which had been stained with 5 industrial stainswere laundered in a Launder-Ometer at the temperature indicated in TableI below in 100 milliliters of an aqueous solution of 1.32 percent byweight sodium metasilicate plus 1.08 percent by weight of the detergentcomposition indicated in the table below.

The Launder-Ometer is an ofiicial test machine of the AmericanAssociation of Textile Chemists and Colorists and is referred to on pageB-5 of the 1967 technical manual of the association.

100 milliliters of distilled water, fifteen A" stainless steel balls,the sodium metasilicate, and the detergent undergoing test were added toa 3" x 5", one pint stainless steel Launder-Ometer cylinder. TheLaunder-Ometer cylinder was capped, placed in a preheating water bath,and conditioned to the temperature of the test.

The soiled swatch was placed in the Launder-Ometer cylinder, thecylinder was capped and sealed and transferred to the Launder-Ometerwhich was at the test temperature, and run for 20 minutes. The cylinderwas removed from the Launder-Ometer, uncapped, and the swatch wastransferred to a second Launder-Ometer cylinder containing 100milliliters of distilled water and fifteen Vi" stainless steel ballswhich had been preheated to the test temperature in the preheating waterbath. The cylinder was capped and sealed and run in the Launder- Ometerfor 5 minutes at the test temperature. The cylinder was removed from theLaunder-Ometer, uncapped, and the contents transferred into a 5" Buchnerfunnel. One and one-half Laundcr-Ometer cylinders of lukewarm tap waterwere poured over the swatch in the funnel. The swatch was separated fromthe stainless steel balls and hand-dipped 5 times in an 8-liter beakerof running tap water. The swatch was hand squeezed, placed on onaluminum plate and dried for 5 minutes at 120 C. in an air circulatingoven.

Reflectance of the Laundered and dried fabric was measured on a Model610 photovolt reflectometer with 610Y search unit. The photovoltreflectometer is described on page 170 of the second edition, 1961catalog of Testing Machines -Inc., 72 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola, NY.

The reflectometer was standardized with green filter in place, adjustingthe instrument to read 0.5 percent with 0.5 percent reflectance standardover the aperture and 80 percent with 80 percent reflectance standardover the aperture.

The swatch was placed over the aperture so that the center of a soiledspot was over the center of the aperture and the 80 percent reflectancestandard was used as backing. Each soiled spot was read separately andtheir reflectances summed.

The sum of the reflectances of the 5 soiled spots (indicated in thetable as EL AR) is the measure of the effectiveness of soil removal withthe highest number indicating the best removal. Results of these testsare shown in Table I below.

The kerosene employed in the Detergent Composition of Table I above is apetroleum distillate having a boiling range of 190 C. to 237 C. and aflash point in the Tag Closed Cup of 65 C.

In all the compositions of Table I above, Nonionic No. 2 is a primaryoxyalkylated alcohol wherein a mixture of by weight 75 percent ethyleneoxide and 25 percent propylene oxide is condensed with a mixture ofnormal fatty alcohols having from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, the weightratio of ethylene oxidepropylene oxide mixture to alcohols being 4: 1. i

In the compositions of Table I above, the nomonlcs in the column headedNonionic No. 1 are as follows:

Nonionic A defines an ethoxylated mixture of secondary linear alcoholscharacterized by the following structural formula having from about 11to carbon atoms in the alkyl group, (i.e., n ranges from about 9 to 13):

Nonionic B defines an ethoxylated linear alcohol as described forNonionic A with the exception that there are 12 ethylene oxide groups inthe ethylene oxide chain instead of 9.

Nonionic C defines an ethoxylated linear alcohol as described forNonionic A with the exception that there are 7 ethylene oxide groups inthe ethylene oxide chain instead of 9.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may bemade in the foregoing composition and process without departing from thespirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A detergent composition consisting essentially of (A) about to 80percent by weight of a mixture of about 80 to 20 percent by weight of(1) nonionic surface active agent produced by condensing a mixture of byweight 75 percent ethylene oxide and percent propylene oxide with amixture of normal primary fatty alcohols having from about 12 to 18carbon atoms, the weight ratio of ethylene oxide-propylene oxide mixtureto alcohols being about 4: 1; and about 20 to 80 percent by weight of(2) nonionic surface active agent which is an ethoxylated mixture ofsecondary linear alcohols characterized by the structural formula:

wherein n is from about 9 to 13 and m is from about 7 to 12, and

(B) about 80 to 20 percent by weight kerosene.

2. The detergent composition of claim 1 including sodium metasilicatewherein the weight ratio of sodium metasilicate to the total weight ofthe primary and second- 75 ary oxyalkylated alcohols is from about 1:1to 16:1.

3. The detergent composition of claim 1 wherein said detergentcomposition consists essentially of about 5 to 70 percent by weight ofsaid primary oxyalkylated alcohol, about 5 to 70 percent by weight ofsaid secondary oxyalkylated alcohol, and about 80 to 20 percent byweight of kerosene.

4. An aqueous washing solution consisting essentially of water and fromabout 0.01 to 5.0 weight percent of a detergent composition consistingessentially of (A) about 20 to 80 percent by weight of a mixture ofabout 80 to 20 percent by weight of (1) nonionic surface active agentproduced by condensing a mixture of by weight 75 percent ethylene oxideand 25 percent propylene oxide with a mixture of normal primary fattyalcohols having from about 12 to 18 carbon atoms, the weight ratio ofethylene oxide-propylene oxide mixture to alcohols being about 4:1; andabout 20 to 80 percent by weight of (2) nonionic surface active agentwhich is an ethoxylated mixture of secondary linear alcoholscharacterized by the structural formula:

CHz-(CHeh-CH;

om-Cm-mm-H wherein n is from about 9 to 13 and m is from about 7 to 12,and

(B) about 80 to 20 percent by weight kerosene.

5. The washing solution of claim 4 including sodium metasilicate whereinthe weight ratio of sodium metasili- UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,485,76212/1969 Gower et al. 252-152 FOREIGN PATENTS 698,560. 11/1964 Canada252-139 OTHER REFERENCES Plurafac Nonionic Surfactants published byWyandotte Chemicals Co., 1967, pp. 1-4, 6, 8, 16-18 and 25.

Tergitol S Surfactants by Union Carbide Co., 1966, pp. 2, 9-11, 21, 22,31, 32 and 35.

McCutcheons Detergents & Emulsifiers-1967 Annual, p. 202.

LEON D. ROSDOL, Primary Examiner D. L. ALBRECHT, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R.

8-139; 252-89, 135, Dig. 1

